Mustaqbal Warns Govt. against Adopting Financial Agreements that May Harm Lebanon

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc renewed on Tuesday its support for the wage hike deal that was reached between the General Labor Confederation and the Economic Committees.

It warned in a statement after its weekly meeting “the government against taking financial and economic adventures that would negatively affect Lebanon.”

It also held Prime Minister Najib Miqati responsible for putting to a vote a decree that violates the agreement between the GLC and Economic Committees.

The cabinet had recently endorsed through a vote Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas’ proposals on a wage hike.

The Economic Committees and the GLC agreed to set the minimum wage at LL675,000 without the transportation allowance, while cabinet approved Nahhas’ proposal that calls for raising the minimum wage to LL868,000 from the current LL500,000 – a sum that includes a LL236,000 transportation allowance.

On Speaker Nabih Berri’s statements on oil exploration and that the Litani River irrigation and hydraulics project will be implemented soon, the bloc said: “These projects had been proposed in previous governments.”

It questioned the speaker’s attribution of the success of these projects to the current government, noting that they were initially proposed by the cabinets that were headed by slain former Premier Rafik Hariri.

Berri said Tuesday that an approval of the decrees on the implementation of the oil exploration law will be the culmination of the government’s achievements.

In remarks to An Nahar daily, Berri said that the approval expected to be made by the cabinet on Wednesday will be “a vital achievement and the energy ministry will implement its mission … to open the door for (the operations of oil exploration) companies.”

He also said that the Litani River’s irrigation and hydroelectric project will be implemented soon.

Those two projects will be a source of pride for Miqati’s government after consecutive cabinets since 1943 failed to implement them, he said.

Indirectly addressing Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh’s statements on Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, the bloc said: “He is attempting to cover up the minister’s violations against his country.”

Franjieh had said on Monday that any attack against Ghosn over his claims that al-Qaida had infiltrated Lebanon “is an indirect attack on the military institution to hinder its role.”

The Mustaqbal bloc added: “The MP’s remarks are aimed at creating strife between the people and the army.”

It revealed that is seeking to interrogate the minister at parliament.